BURDEN OF AN ANCIENT OATH by Joshua Brown (early reader books TXT) 📕

supposed she didn’t believe the threats coming through her door, nor the potential attacks on her family.

How foolish.

I waited for them to enter the white fence surrounding their land border, with Caroline disappearing into the house. The children went inside, but I knew shortly after, Sarah would step out once more, dressed in some comfortable afterschool clothing.

I knew the kitchen had a full view of the front garden where Sarah played. When she stepped outside with a ribbon in one hand and a dolly in the other, it was time to make my move.

I pulled the clown mask over my face, collected a balloon, and my cane from the back seat, and stepped into the street. Sarah had her back turned to me when I stepped up to the white fence. My step was light, cautious, not to cause any suspicion until I was close enough. When I was, I placed three gentle taps against the wood of the white picket fence with the end of my cane.

Sarah turned around, screeching at the sight of the man wearing a mask.

“Oh no,” I said, shaking my head. “Don’t scream. I’m just a friendly clown.”

I put no effort into a voice, nor did I try and make myself sound more hospitable.

“M-m-momma!” she shouted out. I could see she was ready to turn tail and run.

“Don’t you want a balloon?” I asked, holding the red balloon out.

In hindsight, I realized how foolish it was. With all those Stephen King horror stories about clones with balloons, most children wouldn’t be so eager to rush over to a friendly neighborhood clown. But that’s why I was here—to let the Williamson family know that I was coming.

Sarah shook her head, stunned and stuck in place with me standing before her. From the window, I saw Caroline shuffling through the kitchen.

A few seconds later, Caroline burst through the front door, running up to Sarah, who stood midway between me and her front door. She dropped to her knees, wrapping her hands around her daughter before screaming, “Who the hell are you? What do you want?”

I said nothing.

“I’m calling the police,” she shouted, shuffling into her pants pocket for her phone.

“Caroline Williamson,” I said, releasing the red balloon into the air. I grabbed the silver ball atop my cane with both hands setting it in front of me. “Your time of reckoning is nigh. Your husband, a stain on this earth, will meet the full force of the Order of the Phoenix. His blood is blackened by history, and so are your children.”

Caroline looked up at me, away from her phone that no doubt already had 911 dialed. “You’re not going to get away with this, you sick son of a bitch.”

“You may think so,” I was grinning just as wide as my jester’s mask. “But it’s already far too late for you.”

I spun around on my heels, taking long, drawn-out steps back to my car. Every second step was met with a tap of my cane against the floor.

Caroline Williamson yelled obscenities while Sarah cried out into the empty silence of the afternoon.

Chapter 21

Jack

“Jack, did you hear about what happened to the Williamson family?” Aaron burst into my office. I was so lost in a day-dream that his sudden entry gave me a fright, nearly jumping in my chair.

His shirt was stained with coffee, wrinkled, and he looked exhausted. If anything, I was sure that Aaron put the most hours into this case. I’d leave to go home at night and see him in the office the next morning without a wink of sleep. He’d tell me he was fine, go for a shower, and come straight back.

The determination to the cause was amicable.

“I did. Just got off the phone with Gwen about it,” I replied, gesturing that he come in and take a seat. “These bastards are going after the kids now? The problem is, we’re stuck in the water without a paddle, and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Something’s going to break soon, I can feel it. We made headway with Oscar Carlisle, right? It’s small, but it’s going to snowball,” Aaron replied.

He gave me a smile, a small gesture to reassure me that this was going to work out in the end. But for the first time in my career, I didn’t believe it. Everything was stacked against us, and we were falling hard. There’s a point of no return, and without anything on the men that were attacking the families, we lose. They were no longer just threats… the Order made a move on Spencer and his family.

It was going to kick off soon, that much I knew.

“I wasn’t going to tell you this, but I suppose I should,” I let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Gwen was attacked at her home yesterday by the men. She’s not hurt, that’s why you saw her around earlier, but the threats are getting more serious to the outsiders, just as much as they are to those involved in the attacks.”

“What?” Aaron near-shouted. “What did they—”

“Just scared her. They’re trying to set us off here, make us scared. They started with Lauren, and when that failed, they stepped it up to Gwen. Whoever they’re going for next, well…”

“It’s a good thing I sleep with a gun under my pillow,” Aaron chuckled.

“Same,” I replied, giving him a half-assed smile.

But I knew deep down they weren’t going to target Aaron. If anyone was next, it would be me.

“Let’s think about everything we have here, Jack. Sometimes just spitballing ideas is the best way to come to a conclusion on something,” Aaron said, leaning back in his chair. “So, we know that these people believe in some ancient bullshit, right? They’re chasing down the families because of their lineage that goes all